“We call on the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) to steer away from waste-to-energy schemes as a municipal solid waste management solution and focus more instead on programs that would eliminate waste generation at its origin.” This was the statement from environmental justice organization BAN Toxics, following their attendance at the MMDA’s two-day Road to Zero Waste Summit 2024.
The summit, which opened on November 6 at the Bayanihan Center in Pasig City, marks the MMDA’s first major event focused on solid waste disposal and management. According to the summit briefer, the event is “designed to introduce and showcase different waste management practices—including products, services, and technologies that promote a more sustainable and circular economy.”
During the first day’s plenary sessions, MMDA Project Evaluation Officer Ms. Czarina Conte noted waste-to-energy (WtE) as one of the “other considerations” for the MMDA’s 10-Year Waste Management Campaign for Metro Manila. Speaking to the media at a press conference held during the event, MMDA Chairperson Romando Artes expressed hope for future access to WtE technology, stating, “hopefully, eventually, magkaroon tayo ng technology na magkaroon ng waste-to-energy (hopefully, eventually, we will have a technology that will give us access to waste-to-energy).” An MMDA audio-video presentation also referenced WtE as one of the potential solutions under consideration.
“We acknowledge the MMDA’s effort in taking a step forward toward promoting the concept of zero waste. Improving waste collection and segregation through a unified material recovery system, along with raising awareness, are commendable initiatives. However, we believe it would be a step backward to consider WtE or other burn technologies, along with other downstream measures, as the primary solutions for waste management, rather than focusing on reducing waste generation by shifting to more sustainable materials, products, and practices,” said BAN Toxics Deputy Executive Director Jam Lorenzo.
Waste-to-energy (WtE) is the process of generating energy, typically in the form of heat or electricity, by using waste as a fuel source. This is commonly achieved through direct combustion in waste incinerators. Proponents of WtE see it as a solution to reduce or eliminate waste, particularly municipal solid waste, and as an alternative to the ever-decreasing lifespan and capacity of landfills.
In a news release by the Presidential Communications Office last September, Philippine President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. called for the immediate passage of a “Waste-to Energy Bill” to address the flooding problem in the country. The President claimed that waste-to-energy projects have reduced flooding by 40 percent, and that WtE as a flood control measure should be implemented at the local government level, which seems to coincide with the MMDA’s 10-year program.
However, environmental organizations such as BAN Toxics view WtE as yet another contributor to environmental harm, one that would only exacerbate the so-called ‘triple crisis’ of climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution.
According to Lorenzo, waste incineration emits large amounts of carbon dioxide (CO2) and pollutes the environment with a wide range of toxic chemicals, including persistent organic pollutants (POPs) that remain in the environment for a long time. Contrary to claims by WtE industry players, such as Holcim—one of the exhibitors at the Summit—that certain technologies reduce greenhouse gas emissions and prevent the formation of POPs like dioxins and furans, Lorenzo cited a biomonitoring project by Zero Waste Europe that reveals the true impact of waste incineration on human health and the environment.
Zero Waste Europe explains that the way emissions are currently measured only provides a limited snapshot of the incinerator’s output, meaning not all emissions are accounted for. The biomonitoring project, on the other hand, analyzed the surroundings of incinerators in some European countries using a procedure called bioassay, and revealed the presence of dioxins and furans in eggs from backyard chickens, as well as in fruit and vegetables, vegetation, and soil and water, among other environmental elements.
Lorenzo also noted that WtE facilities prefer dry inorganic waste as feedstock to maintain operations due to its high energy content. This means burning fossil-derived plastics and other non-organic fractions of municipal solid waste, which leads to increased greenhouse gas emissions. On the other hand, burning biomass or organic waste, which yields lower CO2 emissions, is also linked to the release of toxic air pollutants, such as volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and particulate matter (PM).
“WtE is not a magic solution that will simply make our waste problems vanish. It merely transforms waste into other, often more toxic forms, such as hazardous ash and air and water pollutants, which are harder to manage and frequently more harmful than the original waste,” Lorenzo added.
BAN Toxics has also urged the MMDA to refine its Road to Zero Waste Program by focusing more on reducing or eliminating waste at the source through curbing production and consumption. The group suggested that a key issue the agency could prioritize is implementing a metrowide ban on single-use plastics.
“Plastic waste, especially single-use plastics, is a major contributor to flooding and is recognized internationally as a significant driver of the global climate crisis—one reason the world is now negotiating a global plastics treaty. We welcome the MMDA’s statement on November 6 expressing openness to a unified policy on single-use plastics, which, along with support from all city governments in Metro Manila, could greatly strengthen their Road to Zero Waste Program by implementing a metrowide ban on single-use plastics,” Lorenzo said.
Lorenzo is part of the civil society delegation to the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC) to develop an international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution, including in the marine environment. The fifth session of the INC is scheduled to take place from November 25 to December 1, 2024 in Busan, South Korea.
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